Vegan Taco Salad

I just want to start this post by saying, give it a chance! I had probably the same reaction you did the first time we tried “meatless crumbles” aka soy protein to replace ground beef… and that reaction was “gross”. But I can promise you, it’s just as delicious and after trying these once a few years ago, we haven’t made tacos or taco salads with ground beef since. Aside from the fact that the meatless option has way less fat (75%!) it’s high in protein so you’ll finish feeling full and satisfied. We add our own blend of “taco seasoning” to them and throw it on top of salads filled with sauteed peppers & onions, sliced tomatillos and tomatoes and fresh squeezed lime juice. The cool part about this is that the crumbles comes in a frozen bag so you can literally whip this up in minutes and have a delicious dinner in no time. Because it’s so simple this is kind of our go-to dinner in a pinch. In fact, I just made this a few nights ago while my husband worked late and I had a million other things to do. I mostly eat this as a salad, but we occasionally break out Ezekiel Sprouted Grain tortillas and make actual tacos too. I thought it would be perfect to share this right before cinco de mayo for all you people looking for a lighter option and also to be living proof you don’t have to be vegan to REALLY enjoy vegan dishes!

Start off by taking a 12 oz. package of meatless crumbles (we always use either Boca or Morningstar brands) and put it in a large sauté pan over medium heat to defrost (1). While that’s happening, heat up about a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a small pan and add half a green bell pepper and half a small red onion that have been cut into strips. Season with salt & pepper and sauté (2). Once the crumbles have defrosted, add the seasoning: 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a tsp of mustard, 1/2 tsp black pepper 3/4 tsp garlic salt and a couple dashes of hot sauce (3). Shred some iceberg lettuce, top with some of the meatless crumbles, the sautéed peppers & onions and whatever sounds good to you, I add sliced tomatillos and tomatoes. To make my “dressing” I mix about 1/2 cup vegan sour cream (we use vegan gourmet’s brand) with 1/2 cup organic hot salsa and the juice from a lime wedge.

Vegan Taco “Meat”

Serves 4

12 oz package meatless crumbles

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 tsp of mustard

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp garlic salt

couple dashes of hot sauce

Defrost the crumbles in a large sauté pan over medium heat, stir in all other ingredients.